Origins: Tales of natural disasters bringing to light fantastic, previously unknown creatures are a common form of legend. One such Internet hoax played itself out a month after the December 2004 tsunami struck several countries in the Indian Ocean
region, and a second similar hoax hit inboxes shortly

afterwards.

The latest entry in this vein concerns a video clip of a purported news broadcast from an Indian television station detailing the finding of
the fossilized remains of a giant creature, one which was supposedly washed ashore by the December 2004 tsunami near Mahabalipuram in southern India (where the giant wave did in fact uncover remains of an ancient port city).

It's safe to say that the clip itself was not a genuine news report, as no other news outlets reported on this amazing find. It was, in fact, part of a viral marketing campaign for the video game Shadow of the Colossus.